Calibrachoa plant named ‘Kakegawa S27’

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a new and distinct Calibrachoa plant, and its parts, named ‘Kakegawa S27’ having a creeping plant habit, abundant branching and light yellow petal colors.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

This invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Calibrachoaplant, hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Kakegawa S27’. ‘KakegawaS27’ is a new variety of Calibrachoa plant having a creeping, branchinghabit. The plant grows vigorously and makes an excellent hanging basket.The invention's flowers are funnel shaped with five-fissured limbs, anda slight indent on each petal. The flowers are single with a diameter of3.0-3.2 cm when fully open. At petal opening the petals are light yellow(RHS 6D) with a darker yellow corolla tube (RHS 7A). The petals willfade in the sun to a yellowish white (RHS 8D) color. The plant grows andflowers best under low soil pH conditions (pH 5-6). Typically youngflowers will close under low light and low temperature conditions suchas late in the day or at night.

The genus Petunia was originally established in 1803 by A. L. Jussieu,who described both P. parviflora and P. nyctaginfloa as type species.Using a non-horticultural system that selected the first mentionedspecies as the type species (lectotype), N. L. Britton and H. A. Browndeclared P. parviflora as the type species for Petunia in 1913.

During the 1980's and 1990, H. J. Wijsman published a series of articlesregarding the ancestry of P. hybrida, the Garden Petunia, and theinter-relationship of several species classified as Petunia. Thesestudies revealed that P. hybrida and its ancestral species, P.nyctaginiflora (=P. axillaris) and P. violacea (=P. integrifolia),possessed 14 pairs of chromosomes while several other species, includingP. parviflora, possessed 18 pairs of chromosomes. Since P. parviflorawas the lectotype species for the Petunia genus, Wijsman and J. H.deJong proposed transferring the 14 chromosome species to the genusStimoryne. Horticulturists opposed reclassifying the Garden Petunia andin 1986, Wijsman proposed the alternative of making P. nyctaginiflorathe lectotype species for Petunia and transferring the 18 chromosomespecies to another genus. The I.N.G. Committe adopted this proposal. By1990 Wijsman had transferred several species, including P. parviflora(=C. parviflora) to Calibrachoa, originally established by Llave andLexarza in 1825. Calibrachoa parviflora (=C. mexicana la Lave & Lexarza)is now the type species for the genus Calibrachoa.

Classification of the current Petunia and Calibrachoa species is stillin progress. New species are also being identified. Consequently aproper description has not been written for the Calibrachoa genus.Calibrachoa can, however, be distinguished from Petunia based on thehigher chromosome number, chromosome morphology, plant branching habitand type of flower bud estivation. Whereas, Petunia species bear aflower peduncle and one new stem from a node, Calibrachoa bear a flowerpeduncle and three stems. Petunia species have a cochlear corolla bud, asingle outermost petal covers the other four, radially folded andterminally contorted petals. Calibrachoa flower buds are flat with allfive petals linearly folded and the two lower petals forming a coveraround the three other petals and fused together.

Asexual reproduction of ‘Kakegawa S27’ Calibrachoa originated from ahybridization made in 1996 by the Sakata Seed Corporation, Kakegawabreeding station in Kakegawa, Japan. The female parent was a breedingline known only as ‘White #1’. The male parent was a breeding line knownonly as ‘5B-133B’. The initial cross-pollination of the parents,resulting in F₁ generation seed, was made in May, 1998. In August, 1998,the F₁ seed was sown in the field at Kakegawa. That summer one plant wasselected for nice color and a creeping, branching habit. This plant wasasexually reproduced and grown in the greenhouse the following winter.In February, 1999 these liens were selected and propagated again forevaluation. Trait stability was confirmed that summer in the greenhousesin Kakegawa, Japan.

In the Summer of 1999, cuttings of this plant line were sent California.During this Summer plants were grown under the direction and supervisionof the inventor for evaluation of stability of the line's desiredtraits. Plants were evaluated in hanging pots at the research station inSalinas, Calif. Final selection of one line as the new variety was madein California. The present invention, ‘Kakegawa S27’ Calibrachoa wasdetermined by the inventor to have it's characteristics, as hereindescribed, firmly fixed.

The plant was asexually produced by excising the terminal 1.0 to 1.5inches of an actively growing stem. The basal half is stripped of leavesand dipped in a 1:19 diluton of Dip-N-Gro™ rooting solution(solution:water). Plastic cell trays with a 1.0 inch diameter by 1.5inch deep cells are filled with a peat-moss based growing media. Thebasal portion of the stem is then inserted into moistened peat-mossmedia. The cuttings are kept in a warm greenhouse under a clear plastictent with occasional misting from an automatic watering system. Thecuttings are fully rooted in six weeks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings serve by color photographic means toillustrate the new plant variety, ‘Kakegawa S27’. The colors arerepresented as true as possible using conventional photographicprocedures.

FIG. 1 is a close-up view of multiple blooms illustrating the creepinghabit; abundant branching; large profusion of blooms and flowermorphology.

FIG. 2 is a view of the new cultivar after growing for several weeks ina six-inch greenhouse pot.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW VARIETY

The following description is based on observations and measurements ofpot grown plants in Salinas, Calif. Data was collected on plants sixweeks after individually transplanting rooted cuttings to a six inchpot. Color designations were made according to The Royal HorticulturalSociety Colour Chart (R.H.S.) published by The Royal HorticulturalSociety of London, England.

Origin: Seedling.

Parentage: This new variety is a selection from the F₂ progeny of threeintercrossed F₁ plants derived from the cross of ‘Liricashower Rose’(U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,884) with Breeding Line ‘White #1’ (an unpatentedplant).

Classification:

Family.—Solanaceae.

Genus.—Calibrachoa.

Botanical.—Calibrachoa sp.

Commercial.—‘Kakegawa S27’.

Plant:

Growth habit.—Creeping; strongly branching.

Plant height.—Varies depending on the container size; a hanging basketmeasuring 40 cm in diameter will produce a plant 40 to 50 cm in lengthand 70 to 90 cm in width.

Time to produce a rooted cutting.—Six weeks for full root development ina plastic cell tray with 1.0 inch diameter by 1.5 inch deep cells.

Life cycle.—Perennial.

Stem:

Thickness.—1.0 mm.

Color.—Light green (144C).

Pubescence.—Slight.

Branching.—Abundant.

Internode length.—1.0-3.0 cm.

Leaf:

Apex.—Mucronate.

Base.—Oblique.

Arrangement.—Verticillate.

Color.—Upper leaf color is green RHS 137A; lower leaf color is green RHS137B.

Pubescence.—Moderate on upper and lower surfaces; pubescence is short,colorless and bulbous at the tip.

Fragrance.—None.

Shape.—Elliptic.

Length (average).—4.2 cm at full expansion.

Margin.—Entire.

Surface.—Slightly pubescent; dull.

Variegation.—None.

Venation.—Pinnate.

Width (average).—1.5 cm at full expansion.

Flower:

Blooming period.—Plants bloom with long days starting in March andcontinuing into October. Each bloom lasts three days. Blooms stay openall day and night. Blooms are fairly cold tolerant but will notwithstand freezing temperatures.

Quantity.—Mature plants growing in a six inch diameter pot can have inexcess of 100 open flowers. The inflorescence is solitary.

Calyx.—5 sepals; 1.5 cm length×0.4 cm width.

Corolla.—5 petals; fused.

Diameter.—3.0-3.2 cm.

Shape.—The flowers are funnel shaped with five fissures and a shallow,yet prominent, indentation of the petal tip at the midvein. Flower depthis approximately two-thirds of flower diameter or 1.3-1.6 cm. Petalfusion is invisible and has a length of 1.0-1.2 cm.

Fragrance.—None.

Habit.—Indeterminate.

Inflorescence type.—Solitary.

Ovary.—Superior.

Pedicel length.—1.6-2.2 cm.

Stamen color.—Yellow RHS 6D anthers.

Stigma color.—Green RHS 143C.

Style color.—Green RHS 143C.

Placenta arrangement.—Central.

Petal pubescence.—Glabrous.

Petal color.—Upper petal surface is RHS 6D (light yellow) at the corollathroat fading to 8D (yellowish white) at the petal tips with RHS 13B(yellow-orange) midveins; lower petal surface is RHS 6B (yellow) withRHS 13B (yellow-orange) midveins; corolla tube inner surface is RHS 7A(yellow); outer surface is RHS 6B (yellow).

Petal size.—2.0-2.5 cm length×1.1-1.3 cm width.

Pollen color.—RHS 3C (yellow).

Stamens.—5.

Fruit & seeds.—No seeds or fruits are produced.

Disease/pests: Plants are susceptible to Botrytis, powdery mildew,various stem and root rots and certain viruses like Tobacco Mosaic Virusand Impatiens Necrotic Spotted Virus. Plants can be infested withaphids, leafminer, whitefly and various Lepitopdera. Plants are coldtolerant and can overwinter under snow cover.

Comparison With Other Known Varieties

The new variety is distinguished from other Calibrachoa plants by itslight yellow petal color and creeping habit. The closest commercialcultivar to this new variety that we are aware of is the petunia-likeplant named ‘Million Bells Trailing White’. The distinguishingcharacteristics which differentiate ‘Kakegawa S27’ from ‘Million BellsTrailing White’ are:

‘Million Bells ‘Kakegawa S27’ Trailing White’ Plant Habit CreepingMounding Internode Length 1.0-3.0 cm 0.5-1.8 cm Flower Color Lightyellow at opening Pure white with a pale fading to yellowish whiteyellow corolla tube and with a yellow corolla yellow mid veins tubeFlower Size 3.0-3.2 cm 2.0-3.0 cm Leaf Length 4.2 cm 3.2 cm

We claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Calibrachoa plant hereinreferred to by the name ‘Kakegawa S27’, substantially as hereinillustrated and described.